Honors & Appointments

April 2003

Honors & Appointments

The General Motors Cancer Research Foundation has awarded the 2003 Charles F. Kettering Prize for clinical/translational research to V. Craig Jordan, PhD, DSc, Diana, Princess of Wales Professor of Cancer Research at the Feinberg School. The Kettering Prize is considered the top award for cancer research in the world and recognizes the most important advance in the detection or treatment of cancer. Dr. Jordan has conducted pioneering research to develop tamoxifen as a treatment and preventive therapy for breast cancer as well as developing Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators (SERMs) for clinical applications. Raloxifene, used to prevent osteoporosis, results from Dr. Jordan’s work, and SERMs are being evaluated as means of preventing coronary heart disease and breast cancer. In addition to receiving a $250,000 prize and commemorative medal, he will be honored at a State Department dinner and National Institutes of Health symposium.

David L. Nahrwold, MD, professor emeritus of surgery and former department chair, has received the 2003 John P. Hubbard Award from the National Board of Medical Examiners in recognition of his contributions to the pursuit of excellence in the evaluation of medicine. The award was presented March 27 during the group’s annual meeting, where Dr. Nahrwold was cited for his leadership role in establishing the core competencies by which graduate medical education programs are assessed for accreditation.

Sandra F. Olson, MD, professor of clinical neurology, was elected president of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) during the group’s annual meeting March 29–April 5 in Honolulu. The first woman to hold the office of AAN president, Dr. Olson hopes during her term to expand the benefits of the organization’s key programs in science, education, and member support, while emphasizing professionalism through lifelong learning, ethics, and patient care initiatives.

Northwestern anesthesiology residents received nine awards at the Midwest Anesthesia Residents’ Conference held in Chicago March 14–16. Attended by members of 32 anesthesia residency programs, the conference provides an opportunity for residents to present research and case reports. Receiving first place awards were Gregory J. Bellig, MD, Kathleen Y. Cho, MD, Nathaniel G. Diaz, MD, Michael G. Dulitz, MD, Christopher R. Fichter, MD, Joshua D. Goldner, MD, and Steve B. Greenberg, MD. Daniel R. Kendall, DO, and Leah C. Templeton, MD, received second place awards. At the upcoming Society for Ambulatory Anesthesia national meeting, Dr. Goldner will receive additional recognition when he presents his paper, “Neurostimulated Evoked Motor Response Predicts the Success and Latency of Single Injection Sciatic Nerve Block” during the best papers sessions.

Children’s Memorial Hospital (CMH), affiliated with the Feinberg School through the McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University, has two new division heads: Tadanori Tomita, MD, professor of neurological surgery, in neurosurgery, and Donald Zimmerman, MD, professor of pediatrics, in endocrinology. Dr. Tomita has been a CMH attending physician since 1981. He directs the Falk Brain Tumor Center and holds the Yeager Professorship in Pediatric Neurosurgery. Prior to joining CMH in February, Dr. Zimmerman was professor of pediatric and adolescent medicine at Mayo Medical School in Rochester, Minnesota, and a consultant to the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism at the Mayo Clinic.

Martha C. Bohn, PhD, professor of pediatrics, has been appointed to the Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee of the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Biotechnology. The committee meets quarterly in Washington to review protocols for clinical gene therapy trials.

Anjen Chenn, MD, PhD, assistant professor of pathology, has been named a 2003 Searle Scholar by the Chicago Community Trust. Dr. Chenn will receive a $240,000 grant to help support his developmental neurobiology research. He and colleagues are looking at how the normal brain develops; this knowledge may be relevant to treating brain injuries or neurodegenerative diseases.

Mina K. Dulcan, MD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and head of psychiatry at Children’s Memorial Hospital, has been appointed to a second term as editor of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry . She was first appointed editor in 1988.

Marilyn B. Mets, MD, professor of ophthalmology at the Feinberg School and division head of ophthalmology at Children’s Memorial Hospital, was honored on February 5 by Prevent Blindness America (PBA) for her leadership and contribution to vision programs. Founded in 1908, PBA is the nation’s largest screener of children’s health and eye safety.

Penn State University has selected Stephen D. Miller, PhD, Congressman John Edward Porter Professor of Biomedical Research and director of the Interdepartmental Immunobiology Center at Northwestern, to receive a 2003 Eberly College of Science Outstanding Science Alumni Award. He will be honored on September 12 in Hershey, Pennsylvania.